Keeping It Green: 8 Benefits To Getting Fresh Air While You Exercise

Getting any type of exercise is good for your body, but did you know there are specific benefits to taking your workout outside? Not only is it a great way to boost your activity, it’ll also help boost your mood.

Here are a few of the main benefits to getting exercise in a natural environment:

1.    You can move faster. When you’re walking or running outside, you can better control your pace. Often, you end up moving a little faster than you would indoors on a treadmill.

2.    It’s easier. When the effort of exercise participants was studied comparing indoor to outdoor walking, participants not only moved faster, they reported the exercise also felt easier to complete.

3.    It’ll alter your perception. Since your perception of effort is lower when you’re in a green environment, it gives you the opportunity to push harder without your perception changing. When an activity is perceived as easier, it’s also perceived to be more enjoyable.

4.   You’ll increase your enjoyment. When you’re exercising outside you’re often engaging with other people. This has been shown to increase enjoyment of the activity and how often you participate, since you have social motivation behind you.

5.   You’ll feel revitalized. Studies have shown that doing physical activities in a natural or green environment can help improve feelings of revitalization. You also feel more positively engaged.

6.   You can improve your self-esteem. Exercising in green environments have also been linked to improved self-esteem and reducing negative moods such as tension, anger, and depression.

7.   It’s better for your physical health. Studies have shown that outdoor environments, particularly green spaces, support better physical health both subjectively and objectively. That means that your sense of well-being, heart health, immune system, and recovery time are all positively affected by your green environment.

8.    It’s also better for your mental health. Work out outside to improve your general mental health, psychological well-being, anxiety, stress, or depression. Both your well-being and perceived well-being benefit from taking-in natural spaces.

To help get you going, here are a few green activities you can try:

·         Plant trees

·         Go hiking

·         Canoe or kayak

·         Explore natural parks

·         Go for a bike ride

·         Play tennis

·         Sign up for an outdoor fitness class or boot camp

·         Join a recreational sports leagues for soccer, ultimate Frisbee, or flag football

Whatever activity you choose, don’t forget to keep it green. For more information on what exercises are right for you, ask one of our Chiropractors.

#exercise #outdoors #physicalactivity #naturalenvironment #chiropractor #chiropracticcare #newhamburgchiropractic #rehabilitation #wecanhelp #2020recordreadawards #newpatientswelcome #newhamburg #wilmot

 

 

How To Exercise Safely At Home Or Outside For Better Health

With the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, most fitness centres across the country have been forced to temporarily shut down. As such, many people have turned to training and working out at home and outside, with the goal to achieve the same level of fitness success as before. This, however, may increase risk of injury due to a lack of supervision and unfamiliarity of using a new space.

To ensure that people get the most benefit out of their exercise routine, the Ontario Chiropractic Association shares simple ways to stay active and safe in any space you choose to train.

EXERCISING AT HOME

Here are some things to consider:

• Footwear: Make sure your choice of footwear is tailored to the type of exercise you’re doing to prevent slips and falls. You should either be wearing shoes or be barefoot if you’re using a mat.

• Space: Make sure the space around you is clear of things you can trip on, such as toys.

• Props: Use proper household items to substitute for weights and dumbbells.

• Stools and benches: If using a stool or bench to support your workout, make sure that it is stable and has a wide base of support.

EXERCISING OUTSIDE

• Be sure to check that you have adequate space and that your surface is clear of any debris such as rocks, branches, and waste.

• Choose clothing to match the temperature outside. If it’s hot, wear something breathable and light.

• Make sure to bring an extra water bottle as well so you can properly hydrate.

NO EQUIPMENT, NO PROBLEM

As not everyone has access to a home gym or gym equipment, there are many household items that you can use to substitute for kettle bells, weights, and dumbbells to get an effective workout.

A four litre water jug is a great option. You can add or remove water to make the exercise more or less challenging.

#fitness #exercise #stayingactive #exerciseprogram #newhamburgchiropractic #newhamburgmassage #newhamburgphysiotherapy #newhamburgorthotics #newhamburgwellness #chiropractic #massage #physiotherapy #rehabilitativeexercise #wecanhelp #recordreaderaward2020 #newpatientswelcome #newhamburg #wilmot

Running Outside - Getting Started

Canadian Chiropractic Association

 

Have you finally moved your running regimen from the treadmill to outside? Summer is a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors through exercise and activity. With just your running shoes you can get out and explore new areas in your city or even better nature trails. Yet, if you are an avid indoor runner, there are likely a few adjustments to make when transitioning to the outdoors. Not surprising, the mechanics of running on a stationary treadmill will vary from running outside on an uneven surface, with various obstacles along the way. So, you will need to prepare and transition before heading out.

 

Typically, a treadmill has a motorized platform that moves under a runner’s (or walker’s) feet at a determined speed and slope. Unless programmed otherwise, the treadmill will continue to offer the same force without environmental factors like wind or terrain that often challenge runners. Also, many treadmills are padded, offering extra absorption of the forces of impact for runners.

 

We have gathered a few helpful tips to get started, and transition you to the outdoors.

Shape Magazine¹ shared some great tips for runners:

• Start slow: Running outside is more taxing on your muscles, joints and bones, and are more prone to injuries like shin splints. Start off with shorter distances on flat roads or trails, and as your endurance improves, gradually increase your mileage and hill work.
• Maintain a constant pace: Don’t feel compelled to push yourself to run at the same pace that you would on a treadmill. Start by running at a moderate and comfortable pace that allows you to run safely, and gradually increase your speed over several weeks as your body allows.
• Wear the appropriate footwear: Adapt your shoes to your environment. A regular running sneaker may have been ideal for the flat, predictable surface of a treadmill, but once you are outdoors, make sure the sneaker’s tread can handle the gravel, dirt roads, and slick trails. Runners should get a sneaker that supports the feet while having the appropriate sole to help maneuver and support uneven surfaces.

 

Before heading out, familiarize yourself with the route and check that it is appropriate for your level of fitness or to help you meet your goals².

• Pick a road or trail you are familiar with. When starting out, the last thing you want to worry about is getting lost. Before even lacing up your sneakers, do some research: ask friends where they like to run, use online running forums to find popular routes, and check to see if your park has designated trails. The more popular and visible the trail, the better.
• Like any activity, make sure you do a proper warm-up before starting.

 

We have some great tips for proper stretching that can help prevent injury. If in doubt, talk to your chiropractor about how to improve your running, and prevent and manage injuries.

1 Shape Magazine, “Don’t make these mistakes when running. http://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/dont-make-these-mistakes-when-running-outdoors

2 Popsugar, 4 things you need to know before running outside.   https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003188.htm

Knee Pain With Running?

By Dr. Greg Lusk, DC

 

Rarely a day goes by when I don't see someone running outside.  The lovely weather takes exercising outdoors and regardless of body type or experience, running is a low cost option and something we have all done.  I often think "Good for you" when I see a runner, but due to my occupation I cannot help but analyze the techniques I see.  Is the person running heavy on their feet, striking at the ball of the foot or the heel, are the legs swinging straight through or out to the side, are the knees buckling inward, how are the arms swinging, how much bounce up and down is occurring?  If I do see something that seems less than perfect, the next thought I have is "I wonder if they feel pain due to running that way."  Now, having less than perfect biomechanics does not always result in pain and it's amazing how much inefficiency the body can tolerate.  However, in the absence of prior injury many runners do begin to experience pain due to the repetition of poor mechanics.  Knee pain is one such presentation.

The knee is a slave to what the foot/ankle and hip are doing.  The long levers of the lower leg and thigh exert much force on the mostly hinging knee joint.  Therefore, any movement that occurs at the foot/ankle or hip that is less than ideal can wreak havoc on the knee.  Let's start where we make contact with our environment - the ground.  When our foot contacts the ground, we should first hit with the outside of our heel and then roll inward, or pronate, as our stride proceeds forward.  This pronation is important and normal to dampen the forces that occur at heel strike.  Over-pronation, however, is not ideal and causes poor mechanics in the ankle/foot and for the lower leg to rotate inward excessively.  This over-rotation is then experienced by the knee and further up the skeleton, often resulting in painful conditions or irritating existing structural damage (e.g. knee osteoarthritis).

With respect to the hip, adequate mobility is needed to allow the desired motions to occur throughout the gait cycle.  Stability is also crucial at the hip.  Running, and walking for that matter, can be considered controlled falling with alternating single leg standing.  As our centre of mass is not balanced over any one of our two hip joints, our bodies would tip sideways if it wasn't for the strength of the muscles on the outside of our hips and sides of our torso.  These muscles also control thigh rotation.  Therefore, if they are weak, which they notoriously are, due in part to the amount of sitting we do which does not activate these muscles but has them function more as "cushions", you get excessive thigh rotation.  Knee pain, once again, is a possible end result.

There a few things to consider which may alleviate and/or prevent knee pain related to running.  Be mindful of your knee position when running and try to prevent it from buckling inwards too much.  Do you have good shoes with appropriate arch support to prevent over-pronation?  Does your hip have sufficient strength or endurance to stabilize itself effectively?  There are exercises that can be done to strengthen the appropriate muscles.

Knee pain begs us to at least look at its neighbouring joints.  Otherwise, we're just managing symptoms and not getting to the root of the problem.  This article is for general information purposes only and is not to be taken as professional medical advice.